Phil
"Meet Phil, a newcomer to the Halo 3 online community who tries to do nothing more than merely enjoy this wonderful game." Phil is a Halo 3 Machinima created by the duo at Black Light Productions. The series is an action/comedy which outlines the Xbox Live experiences of fictional friends Phil, Zack, and Wally. Most of the humor is online gaming, internet, or Halo based; however, there is a fair amount of random comedy and comedic sequences. Phil's episodes are divided into separate "Days," with each "Day" generally consisting of the events that occur within a single game. Plot Phil follows the various adventures and encounters of Phil, Zack, and Wally, three unskilled players in Halo 3, as they must train and prepare for a fictional tournament in order to beat ex-clan leader Chad. Along the way, the trio encounter various friends and foes, as well as several crazy situations in the games they play. Season 1 Day One: "Newcomer" Phil, a brand new Halo 3 player, spawns in a Lone Wolves match on the map Snowbound. He immediately spots another player in steel-colored Hayabusa armor with a Spartan Laser standing still. Phil sees him as his first kill ever and attempts to shoot and kill the player. Suddenly the music abruptly stops and the Hayabusa player turns to Phil to inquire what he is doing. Phil, obviously puzzled, states that he imagined the purpose of the game type "Slayer" is to kill the enemy players. The Hayabusa player responds by pointing out that no one actually does that on this particular map, and fed up, summons a player named Wally to explain the situation. Wally, who is warm and receptive of a new player, explains that the map they are currently playing on is Snowbound one of the few Lone Wolves maps that contain a spartan laser, and thus one of a few places where they are unable to unlock the difficult "Two For One" achievement. Wally and Hayabusa also tell Phil that completing all achievements unlocks the Katana body armor, which they profess grants a player god-like abilities and instant celebrity-like status online. The Hayabusa player explains that his and Wally's old clan leader did not eat or sleep for two weeks in an attempt to get the piece, losing his job, girlfriend, house, clothes and arms in the process. Phil points out that the notion of sacrificing everything in the real world to obtain a virtual achievement is a foolish one, and is immediately denounced by the Hayabusa player for not appreciating the ex-clan leader's efforts. When Phil asks where the leader is presently, the two inform him that he has "moved on to a better place," and it is revealed that he has ditched their clan for a higher-skilled one, composed of Generals. The Hayabusa player then explains the game is about to end, and tells Phil that he will send him a friend request and "explain everything later." He then commands Phil to stand in front of Wally, in a last-minute attempt to shoot both with a single laser blast, thus unlocking his "Two for One" achievement. However, he somehow manages to miss just as the game ends. Day Two: "Magic Mike" Phil, Wally, and the Hayabusa player (now introduced as Zack) spawn in a game of "Swords" on the map Construct. Zack and Wally explain that they will be able to unlock the "Steppin' Razor" achievement by scoring a Triple Kill with the Energy Sword. However, in order to accomplish this, they must seek the help of a fourth player. Phil spots a player with the Mark V helmet on the horizon, and the trio ask him to help with their attempt. The player then introduces himself as Magic Mike, who turns out to be a young, immature, wannabe gangster. The trio then hold a group huddle, in which Zack and Wally explain that people like Magic Mike on Xbox Live are generally annoying and untrustworthy, however Phil wishes to give him a chance, which the group reluctantly agrees to. In their first attempt however, Magic jumps the gun and is the first player to go, scoring the required Triple Kill before anyone is ready. After respawning, Zack confronts him angrily, to which Wally and Phil persuade him to calm down and attempt the achievement again. Zack agrees, and manages to kill Wally and Phil, but just as he is about to kill Magic Mike, he is betrayed by Mike again and killed himself. The group then realize Magic Mike cannot be trusted, and confront Mike about his aggravating behavior, to which Magic Mike responds by killing them with a plasma grenade. It is with the next respawn that the group resolve to kill Magic Mike for his wrongdoings, and after a "Yo Mama" insult match, they pit themselves against Mike. A brief action sequence ensues, in which Zack, Wally, and Phil all manage to fail in their attempts to kill Magic Mike. Zack then accidentally kills Wally by throwing a Power Drain/Grenade combo in the main elevator. Mike then appears behind Zack and kills him, just as the game ends. He is then seen celebrating his victory, while Phil, Zack, and Wally watch from above. Phil suggests they never mention this encounter as long as they live, and Zack vows to destroy Magic Mike if they were to ever meet again. Day Three: "Clan Macho" The trio find themselves playing a game of "Juggernaut" on the map Foundry. Spotting the player who is the Juggernaut at the current moment, Phil inquires as to the rules of this particular game type, to which Wally explains that everyone is on a team against the Juggernaut player. The trio then rush the current Juggernaut, only to be stopped by his laughter. The other player then declares, in true internet meme fashion, "I'm the Juggernaut, bitch!" before being killed by Zack. Zack then declares the same, only to be in turn killed by Wally, who declares the meme, albeit in a slightly more wordy and sophisticated manner. Phil then kills Wally, and says the statement nonchalantly. Zack runs up and tells Phil that he said the meme incorrectly, to which Phil contests that it doesn't matter if you say it or not; ie, it is a personal choice. However, Zack and Wally chastise him for this statement, and declare the match cannot continue until Phil says the statement correctly, to which 2 onlookers agree. However, before Phil has a chance to respond, he is killed mysteriously. Zack tries to figure out who the next juggernaut is, but none of the currently present players admit to killing Phil. Just then, a large explosion occurs on the other side of the map, and another random player is killed. All the players turn to look, and a dramatic introduction shows a player with the Katana armor proclaiming the statement, in a deep, menacing voice. Zack initially mistakes this player for the "real Juggernaut," but quickly figures out it is a character named Chad, an egotistical jackass who knows Zack and Wally somehow. Chad berates the two of them, until Phil shows up and inquires as to who this new player is. It is then revealed that Chad used to be the clan leader (referred to in Day One) before deserting Zack and Wally for more skilled players. After a brief exchange of mocking and threats, Chad declares that he and his clan, "Clan Macho," will be competing as the top contenders in a (fictional) tournament called the UXLT. Zack and Wally are shocked, and explain to a confused Phil that the UXLT is a very prestigious event, with very big rewards as well as bragging rights. Phil, fed up with an arrogant Chad, tells Chad that he will enter this tournament and defeat him. Chad laughs this off, and offers Phil a bet. He states that whichever clan loses to the other in this tournament will be forced to cancel their Xbox Live subscriptions. An aggravated Phil accepts this challenge, much to Zack and Wally's disbelief. Chad quits the game with his clan in order to play Team Swat, and Phil learns from Zack and Wally that this tournament is in exactly one week, and they must have a team of 4 to compete. Phil shrugs this away, stating with optimism that despite the current situation being as bad as it is, things will look brighter the next day. Day Four: "Team Effort" Zack, Wally, Phil, and two unnamed characters wearing the Scout helmet are on the blue team in a "Capture the Flag" match on the map Standoff. Zack assumes the position of team leader, and starts barking out orders, but is stopped when he realize the two unknown characters are not paying attention. One of them snaps to life, and explains how he was busy checking out naked girls on his computer. He then calls his roommate, Jake (the other unknown character) and both of them start to get hyped up about the match, revealing their frat-boy/stoner like behavior. Wally inquires if they are feeling okay, to which they proclaim they are both hung over (despite it being 5 PM on a Wednesday). The game starts, and they rush off on the Blue team's warthog, completely ignoring the plan. Zack, Phil, and Wally then come up with a new plan, to which Phil will attempt to take the Red team flag by himself, backed up by Zack and Wally on a Mongoose. Phil manages to steal the Red flag, but halts as he exits the base, as 4 members of the Red team are waiting for him there. Pat and Jake arrive on the Warthog, seemingly to the rescue of Phil, but soon drive off without harming anyone, and Phil is chased back into Red base, where Zack and Wally are waiting in the room. Trapped and under heavy fire, Wally suggests they make a final stand here, but Zack discourages this, revealing he has the rocket launcher, and kills all of Red team with a single rocket (to which the Reds complain rockets take no skill). The trio then run across open ground back to Blue base with the flag, and just as they arrive, Red team respawns and starts to chase them. Wally tells Phil that he and Zack will hold them off as Phil captures the flag, but along with Zack, is immediately betrayed by Pat and Jake on the Warthog. Phil is then gunned down by Red team, who need only 2 more seconds until the flag is returned when they are killed by Pat and Jake. Jake then takes the Red flag into Blue base and captures it, celebrating a victory with Pat by headbutting each other as the game ends. Day Five: "Wally's Girlfriend" Day Five starts with a simple game of "Slayer" on the map High Ground. The trio discuss the need for a fourth clan member, and how Zack cannot have his Xbox Live subscription canceled under any circumstances. Wally then pipes up, saying he may have a solution. He reveals how his girlfriend has been training offline, and wishes to play with the trio. Phil is all for the idea, but Zack, who seems to have prior knowledge of Wally's girlfriend Sarah, is highly against the idea. Nonetheless, Sarah enters the game and arrives with a resounding screech of Wally's name. Sarah is shown to be abrasive, overbearing, and an overall bitch, who obviously wears the pants in the relationship. Phil and Zack back off as she enters an argument with Wally about how he has failed to do her laundry despite her unrealistic demands. Fortunately, for the time being, she is called by one of her girlfriends, and Phil and Zack, now perched high above the ground on a platform, summon Wally up to them. There, they confront him about his girlfriend, demanding he break up with her immediately. Wally breaks down and reveals how he is scared of her, and they resolve to help him break up with her right then and there. Sarah returns, and Wally, standing far away on top of the platform, is unable to bring himself to say the words. Zack intervenes, and tells her Wally is dumping her. Sarah cannot take this news, and starts going crazy, grabbing the rocket launcher and running after them. Phil suggests, while under heavy rocket fire, that they quit the game, to which Wally replies they do not wish to lose EXP points, no matter what. Sarah attacks them, and they are forced to flee, jumping up onto another platform. Unfortunately, Zack cannot make the jump and cries for help. Phil hears him, and is about to go back when Wally persuades him to leave Zack, who dies a presumptuously horrible torturous death. Seconds later, however, Zack respawns and sarcastically chides them. A haunting laugh shows the audience that Sarah has arrived, effectively cornering the trio. Just as it looks like all hope is lost, the game ends and Sarah cannot exact her revenge on Wally. Swearing to return and make Wally suffer, she quits with a loud explosion and Zack, Wally and Phil are left standing there relieved. Day Six: "Sexism" The episode starts off with Phil, Wally, and Zack discussing the pros and cons of the map Isolation and the rules of the game they are about to play (Team Doubles). Zack and Wally are on the orange team, both the red team (a selfish, aggressive team) and the green team (a very hippie, peaceful team) are shown, then it is revealed that Phil is teamed with a player named KillerLily17. After laughing at this name, Wally discovers however, that this player has never lost a game. The player then walks up, revealing herself to be a female, and an apparently talented one at Halo. Zack and Wally both end up throwing pickup lines at her, only to be killed by her, and respawn in the tunnels below, much to Wally's dismay. Phil is then attacked by Red and Green teams, both of which are dispatched by Lily. He then, surprised at her skill, asks her where she learned how to perform like that, and if she would teach him some. She abides, and it is assumed Phil learns some skill. Down below, in the tunnels, Red and Green teams are fighting when Zack interrupts, saying that they need to band together as men and cannot allow a girl to beat them at Halo. Wally objects to this, and is shunned and deserted in the caves as a result. Zack, along with Red and Green team, confront Lily and Phil. Lily comments she could kill them easily, but entrusts Phil to use his new skills to kill them. Phil then steps forward and manages to kill both Red and Green team, but is held at gunpoint by Zack. Zack then comments he wants to ask out Lily, and is promptly sniped in the head by her. Phil thanks Lily, and asks her if she wants to join their team for the UXLT, to which she replies that she already has entered with another team, and leaves the game. Zack runs up and asks Phil for her phone number, who then realizes that Wally is missing. Day seven:"Deja vu" Characters Main Characters Phil Phil is the titular character, full name Phillip Bartholomew Johnson, and the series protagonist (although his airtime is equal to that of characters Zack and Wally). Phil is a newcomer to Halo 3, and holds an innocent, optimistic, and sometimes naive view of meeting new people and performing new tasks in this game. Throughout the first season, Phil slowly learns the ins and outs of this game, and seems to lose some of his initial innocence in favor of a more realistic approach. Phil is also seen as brave and passionate in matters he cares about, often speaking up when he feels someone is being wronged or something is unjust. Despite this courage, he is not always persuaded to follow through on it, as evident when leaving Zack to his seemingly torturous death at the hands of Sarah. Phil wears the default Mark VI armor, head, and shoulders, with blue as the primary and secondary color. His emblem is the smiley face, with steel primary and gold secondary color. Zack Zack is the first character encountered in the series, although not given a name until Day Two. He is hypocritical, impatient, harsh, rude, and has a tendency to curse and insult others, in contrast with his best friend, Wally. Often he is the source of new and creative insults, for friends and foes alike. Zack believes himself to be the leader of the trio, despite his selfish personality which generally tends toward failure. His fondness for internet culture leads to very misinformed ideas and rather idiotic notions of how Halo 3 should be played, such as his belief that possessing the Katana grants a player god-like abilities. He is a hypocrite, and often is the joke of the series due to his terrible skill at Halo 3 (but still professing other players to be "Noobs"). Zack wears Hayabusa armor, head, and shoulders, with steel as the primary and secondary color. His emblem is the "Valkyrie" symbol, with white primary and secondary color. Wally Wally is the deep voiced member of the trio, and is seen as informed, mild-mannered, cautious, helpful, and cowardly. Wally speaks in a low, slower tone of voice, and often uses large words arranged in respectful manner. However, this is often a source of comedy; when he attempts to use common language or slang references and ends up butchering the reference used. Despite his wise attitude, he, like Zack, often holds untrue or exaggerated beliefs, but also at the same time, plays foil to Zack's impatience, with his laid-back approach to Halo. He is also seen as cowardly, either screaming or crying in intense situations, such as when he must break up with his demanding girlfriend Sarah. Wally wears the CQB head, body, and shoulder armor, with white primary and steel secondary color. His emblem is also the "Valkyrie," with white as both the primary and secondary color. Major Characters Chad Chad is the arrogant, pompous, skilled ex-leader of Zack and Wally's clan, who sacrificed everything in his real life for the Katana body piece, before promptly ditching Zack and Wally for a better clan (Clan Macho) composed of Ranked Generals. He is presented as the major antagonist for the series, more so to Phil than the other characters. With his big ego, as well as being top seed in a major tournament, it is implied that Chad does possess some degree of skill, and will no doubt be a tough opponent for the heroes. Chad wears the Rogue helmet, Security shoulder, and Katana armor pieces. His primary/secondary color is unknown, as he was the Juggernaut at the time of arrival. His emblem is unknown. Magic Mike Magic Mike is the annoying, whiny, cocky wannabe gangster that Phil and friends met on Day 2. Magic is very much not to be trusted, by his constant betrayal of the teams plans to get the Steppin' Razor achievement. He is most noted for his high-pitched annoying voice, shrill laughter, and insults, generally about someone's mother. Despite all these character traits, he seems to possess some degree of skill in Halo, or at least enough to dispatch of Phil, Zack and Wally. He wears default Mark VI shoulders and chest, with a Mark V helmet. His primary and secondary colors are red, and his emblem is a white Skull King. Jake and Pat Jake and Pat are the two stoner/drunk college frat boys met on Day 4. When first met, it is apparent these guys are often distracted by women and alcohol, and while seemingly possess some degree of skill, are uncontrollable and often just scream drinking chants or other nonsense while driving about aimlessly. They do not initially come off as hostile, rather drunk, stoned, and not wishing to listen to anything or anyone. Their armor is Scout Helmet with normal Mark VI shoulder/chest, with primary/secondary colors unknown. Their emblems are Pat-6 and Jake-9 (69), white with Red. Sarah Sarah is the ex-girlfriend (as of Day 5) of Wally, is much more dominant than him, and has an severe anger management problem. She obviously wears the pants in the relationship, and is annoying and harsh to listen to. Her cruel and demanding personality is what persuades Zack and Phil to get Wally to break up with her, causing her to go insane with rage. And the end of Day 5 though, she is unable to kill Wally and vows to get revenge on him in the future. Lily Lily (or KillerLily17) is the very talented and skilled halo 3 player that teamed up with Phil on Day 6 in a Team Doubles match. Apparently, she has never lost a game and has a Kill/death ratio of over 9000. This seemingly is proven after she takes out 6 enemies in a span of seconds, leaving a dumbfounded Phil. Her personality is strong-willed, confident, and a little bit cocky of her skill in Halo. She becomes Phil's teacher of sorts, and teaches him a few tips about playing multiplayer. Also, she says she is entered in the UXLT, but with a different team. Links Black Light Production's website: http://blacklightproductions.blogspot.com/ Black Light Production's YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/blackliteproductions